Tat tvam asi: That thou art

By Raphael Āśram Vidyā Order

The universe is life at many dimensions, many systems of co-ordinates, and the individual combines or synthesises the various systems within his own nature.

The human being is not merely a physical and functional compound: he is thought and also spirit, however threadbare and vague this term may be.

That the universe has many dimensi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aurea Vidya
• Release date: Aug 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781931406345

Raphael Āśram Vidyā Order

Raphael is a Master in the Metaphysical Tradition of East and West. He has written several books on the pathway of Non-duality (Advaita) and has translated a number of key Vedānta texts from the Sanskrit. He has also commented on the Orphic Tradition and compared it to the works of Plato, Parmenides, and Plotinus. Raphael interprets spiritual practice as a 'Pathway of Fire', which disciples follow in all branches of the Tradition; it is the 'Way of Return'. All disciples follow their own 'Path of Fire' in accordance with that branch of the Tradition to which they belong. According to Raphael, what is important is to express, through living and being, the truth that one has been able to contemplate. Thus, for all beings, their expression of thought and action must be coherent and in agreement with their own specific dharma.After more than 60 years of Teaching, in both oral and written format, Raphael withdrew into mahāsamādhi. May Raphael's Consciousness, an expression of the Unity of Tradition, guide and illumine along this Opus all those who donate their mens informalis (formless mind) to the attainment of the highest known Realisation.

Book preview

PREFACE

The universe is life at many dimensions, many systems of co-ordinates, and the individual combines or synthesises the various systems within his own nature.

The human being is not merely a physical and functional compound: he is thought and also spirit, however threadbare and vague this term may be.

That the universe has many dimensions is a fact which science itself has acknowledged. That the individual has ‘faculties’ which extend beyond the physical is also something which is coming to the surface in practical ways. On the other hand, to think of a human being as a mere function, a glandular secretion and excretion strikes us as an unreasonable distortion. Restricting the being to its exclusively unilateral and horizontal condition of action strikes us as a levelling-down of its totality, a metallising of consciousness and intelligence on a mere grid of co-ordinates.

The West, in general, has looked outwards and put its attention outside of itself in its desire to conquer the objective environment of nature. And there is nothing wrong with this, but it would be useful, we would say necessary, for it to look inwards, too, for it to understand itself better and to make a conscious effort not to limit itself to observing glands, molecules, and tissue, but to study something deeper: essence itself or that Principle within us which gives those molecules and glands their raison d’être. Of course, this would necessarily mean changing direction and the method of investigation, but for the lovers of truth or knowledge the obstacles are not ones of restraint but of incentive, as is the case with what has happened with the obstacles encountered at the objective level.

The East, on the other hand, has turned inwards, as we learn from the Upaniṣads, and has sought to master the nature of the inner elements rather than the nature of the external elements.

We think that the two approaches, the two methods, and the two directions, if united and synthesised could actually produce amazing results. Spirit and matter could co-exist because they could be recognised as polarities which are resolved in the Unity of Being.

Ultimate Truth is in the heart of the being, and to seek it outside is to turn away from this very Truth.

This book shows the unfolding of a psychological crisis, an ascent, and a self-discovery. It takes the form of a dialogue: and a dialogue is the meeting of two hearts, an osmosis of waves set in motion by experiences; it is self-bestowal; it is the life-force which creates growth.

A dialogue which is an end in itself is not a dialogue but a release of emotion, a mode of expression, a parade of erudition.

In the dialogue there is no rivalry, no desire, no release of tension.

This realisative dialogue between Raphael and Antonio unfolded over a number of years. It has been adapted to make a complete book, but in actual fact it contained pauses, simple considerations, interventions - sometimes long ones - on the part of Antonio, and periods of silence on the part of Raphael. However, they both have two aims in common: to seek and find, and to withdraw into oneself.

It is worth stating that this book is not scholarly. If the dialogue touches on points of Vedānta philosophy, it is merely expressing the Teaching on which realisation must be based. Throughout the text there is some hint of this.

On the other hand, Antonio’s particular mind-set and the specific Teaching of Vedānta gave rise to a dialogue which was at times focused on metaphysical principles; and however protracted the themes were, it was thought right to put together these parts which might be more directly useful to the Western reader.

To all who read this text we offer our hope that they will seek and find fullness within themselves and be able to give it to others who are open to receive it.

Aurea Vidyā

SENSE-BASED LIFE IS A CONFLICT

A - I am here because I am hard pressed by doubts, conflicts, and a rejection of life. I have experienced what are usually called the pleasures of the world. I have devoted myself to painting, been active in an extreme political faction, and, in a word, I have experienced everything. Yet here I am - overcome by disgust for everything, by restlessness, and by insecurity. I should also add that I have taken drugs a number of times. This has made me even coarser. I think I’ve got inured to it. What a terrible mess! I’m in a closed circle, and I don’t know how to get out of it. I can’t go on like this. If I abandon myself unthinkingly to experiences, I become numb, a stranger to myself, and I forget myself. On the other hand, if I keep away from experience, I am seized by the terrible anguish of loneliness and emptiness. If I’m alone, I get frightened, and so I look for the company of others, but this leaves me even emptier.

R - My brother, when faced with relative, sense-based experiences, we can adopt one of two possible attitudes. With the first attitude we become so deeply identified with the object of experience that we forget our own being. In this state, as you say, we get swamped and stunned. Instead of experiencing, we are being experienced. Instead of living, we are being lived. This is the state of a being who has reached the very end of reasonableness. The second attitude is that of someone who discriminates, evaluates, questions himself and questions things. But to a consciousness which asks questions many experiences can turn out to be absurd, irrational, and conflicting. On the other hand, if you are aware when you question yourself, you will appreciate that you find a sense-based experience beautiful simply because, for the time being, you are following the line of least resistance. Something gives you pleasure because you desire it, but if the desire ceases, so will the pleasure. And we know that desire is irrational and whimsical and often leads us astray.

A - And so what should I do? Commit suicide? I have recently thought of doing so, but have always put it off.

R - What you say is right. This is another desire, and desire is not resolved by being gratified, for this is just a relief of tension, but by being comprehended¹ and then transcended. Have you ever looked desire in the face, without having any mental superstructure?

A - No. I don’t understand. The trouble is that I have so many years in front of me, and this tortures me. Why can’t I find the solution to the problems of my life? Why is this world deceptive and deaf to any dialogue? Why is this world so false, so unwilling to engage in a dialogue? I have to confess that I am at the end of my strength and my powers of perception.

Can you help me? Can you give back to me the dignity of a man endowed with reason? I would really like these colloquies - our realisative dialogue, as you call it - to give rise in me to the certainty of my deepest reality. In fact, I should say that this reality is my only anchor of salvation.

R - Allow me first of all to clarify a few fundamental points about our relationship.

A true dialogue doesn’t take place between two individuals, but between two hearts, two available consciousnesses, two receptive minds, two pairs of eyes that are seeking to comprehend each other. Where there is opposition, reaction, fanaticism, and pride, there cannot be any dialogue and comprehension. To make one’s consciousness available does not mean being in a state of passivity or inertia. To participate in a dialogue, in the traditional sense of the term, means to journey along a way, a path; it means to meet each other.

Another point is this: the truth of things lies in the things themselves, just as the solution to a problem lies in comprehending that problem. The truth of the being lies in the being, and looking for it outside the being would be like looking outside yourself for a garment which you are already wearing.

Again: if the truth which emerges from our dialogue is not lived by your consciousness, you will not be able to resolve your conflictual problems.

A - I am ready for anything, if only I can find myself. And since I am here, it means that there is at least a thread of hope. But I think it’s very thin.

R - Do you hope to have the possibility, or rather the certainty of your own Reality? Well, it would be good first of all for us to comprehend the meaning of the word ‘Reality’.

What do you understand by Reality? What meaning do you give to this word?

A - What is real for me is what I can experience, perceive, observe - what is within my sensory awareness.

R - And yet, until now, the ‘reality’ which you have experienced has given you nothing but conflict, confusion, and uncertainty. On the other hand, this is precisely why you want to direct yourself towards other realities. Isn’t that so?

A - Yes, that’s right.

R - Well, how many realities do you think there are?

A - I would say there are many experiences of a single Reality.

R - In that case, since the experiences are part of a single Reality, they should be considered as so many realities. Now, if these experiences which you have already had and which, according to you, belong to the one Reality, have brought you into conflict, you must obviously think that any future realities will also take you to nothing but non-fulfilment.

A - Don’t force me into a blind alley, please. I’m already in one. Am I doomed to live for ever in conflict and uncertainty? Why is this terrible fate just for me?

R - You need to relax, my brother. I tell you that if you are here, then all is not lost. Deep down, you understand this, too.

You see, if you have come merely to find comfort, I can also give you that. But I assure you that the real problems of life are not solved by going to beg for some crumb of sympathy. I am sure that if you adjust yourself to a suitable state of consciousness, you will slowly come to discover yourself.

A - What makes you believe that?

R - Your intelligence and your suffering, which have brought your consciousness to a state of maturity.

A - Do you have faith in me? Do you have faith in a drop-out like me? In a brutish creature, who has been on drugs and has also hated?

R - Yes. Otherwise I wouldn’t have welcomed you. My dear friend, you have accepted me and I have accepted you, and there is nothing more beautiful than mutual acceptance and meeting. Don’t you agree?

A - You make me ashamed. I am here out of desperation. It’s not me that accepts you, but my desperation. Do you understand what sadness is? But why do you accept me?

R - It isn’t I that accept you. It’s my bliss and my comprehension.

A - Why doesn’t your ‘I’ accept me? Didn’t you say that meeting is such a beautiful thing?

R. It doesn’t accept you for the simple fact that the comprehension and bliss I have spoken of are without ego.

A - What a strange language you speak!

R - But we are running ahead. Later you will comprehend. We were saying just now …

A - I was asking if I was doomed to live for ever in conflict and uncertainty.

R - I can’t answer your question. We must try together to see if there’s a way out.

You say that, although you have had ‘real’ experiences in the most diverse fields of human expression, you find yourself completely empty, unhappy, in conflict, and at the end of your tether. Is that right?

A - That’s right. I don’t deny it.

R - Well now, if everything that you